This course will cover they key stages of negotiation, consider how disputes arise and provide an effective toolbox of skills to enable a structured process. The delegates will be introduced to different negotiation styles and tactics and learn how to recognize and counter them. There will be an opportunity to carry out a self-assessment of present skills over the whole range of the negotiation topic and delegates will consider the differences between negotiating individually or as part of a team. The programme culminates in a realistic dispute resolution case study and the delegates are encouraged to reach an agreement before the forces of law intervene in the dispute.

This course will be best suited to those who have a fundamental ability in negotiating but want to increase their formal knowledge and enhance their practical skills. The course is aimed at staff at all levels and is applicable to staff from a wide range of business disciplines including engineering, design, project management, production, finance, sales & marketing, business development, purchasing, procurement, commercial and general management. Those who will benefit most will have a current or planned interface with internal “suppliers or customers” or external suppliers or customers through which contracts are negotiated.
The seminar will enhance the knowledge and skill set of the delegates and improve their confidence level when faced with the prospect of difficult negotiations such as those encountered during the process of resolving contractual disputes.

This interactive Training will be highly interactive, with opportunities to advance your opinions and ideas and will include;

• Lectures
• Workshop & Work Presentation
• Case Studies and Practical Exercise
• Videos and General Discussions

Day 1 - Programme Introduction

Fundamentals of Negotiation

• Negotiation defined
• Disputes and the need for resolution
• Place of negotiation in the contractual resolution process
• Commercial impact of the breakdown of negotiations
• Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement (BATNA)
• The four phase process of negotiation
• Preparation
• Discussion and Proposal
• Bargain & Close

Day 2 - The Negotiator’s Toolbox

• Preparation
• Negotiating position setting
• Prioritization
• Entry & exit points
• Information needs
• Team negotiation - roles
• Relationship building
• Information acquisition
• Forms of questions - open, closed, comparative
• The conditional proposal - “If/then…”
• Unconditional proposals – “Thank & Bank”
• Degrees of freedom
• Bargain and close
• Trading up and trading down
• Concessions
• Recording the outcome

Day 3 - Negotiating Styles, Tactics and Ploys

• Cultural & international issues
• Red, Purple & Blue negotiators
• Non-verbal communication
• Interpretation of Signals – arms, legs and eyes
• What is in a handshake?
• Spatial zones and spatial awareness
• Make time your friend
• Silence as a tactic and how to counter it
• Ploys as “power plays” and how to counter

Day 4 - Personal Fitness and Dealing with Difficult Negotiations

• Interests, positions and escalation
• Push/pull
• Good guy/bad guy
• Negotiator as a Mediator
• Team negotiations
• Proposals and persuasion
• What’s In It for me? (WIIFM) solution
• Personal skills fitness check

Day 5 - Putting it All into Practice

• Negotiation case study
• Team allocation and simulation exercise
• Analysis of performance
• The Do’s and Don’ts of Negotiating
• Improving what we do – action planning.

CDGA attendance certificate will be issued to all attendees completing minimum of 80% of the total course duration.